In-ground outlet posts have been disclosed in U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/755,936 and 09/860,064 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,779,764, 6,585,221, and 6,752,362, commonly owned by the assignee of the present invention, the contents of which are referred to herein and incorporated herein in this specification in their entirety.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/860,064, entitled “Landscape Fixture Support Post”, filed May 17, 2001 and now abandoned, disclosed a mounting device for mounting a lighting fixture in an outdoor setting. The mounting device included a hollow cylindrical post. The lower portion of the post included integral projections to enable easy anchoring in the ground and a wide entryway for electrical supply cable. The radial projections, being integral with the post body, were less likely to separate from the post than stabilizer devices held by fasteners, as is typical of prior art posts. The post provided a top fitting for mounting a light fixture and a side port to provide access to the interior of the post for completing wiring connections.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,362 improved upon the design of an outdoor mounting device by providing an electrical junction box having a top wall and four side walls integral with the post. The mounting device provided a secure junction box for mounting an electrical device, such as an outlet receptacle in addition to a lighting fixture. Wiring connections to both the electrical device and the lighting fixture could therefore be completed within a secure electrical junction box. By isolating the internal wiring connections to both the device and fixture within a secure junction box, the wiring connections were thus better protected from ground moisture and other environmental hazards. The mounting device also enabled the junction box to accept all standard wall-mounted electrical devices, increasing its functionality.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,221 improved upon the functionality of the outdoor garden post by disclosing a mounting device for mounting a fixture at a user-selectable height in an outdoor setting. The mounting device was modular in nature, with the installer able to add various modules to raise the height of a light fixture and electrical device to a desired level. The mounting device also included a secure electrical junction box for enclosing and protecting wiring connections.
U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/328,318 and 10/755,936 improved the functionality of in-ground outlet posts by disclosing mounting devices that provided an elongated electrical box capable of accommodating several electrical devices.
Although the aforementioned disclosures improved upon prior art in-ground mounting devices, the mounting device was limited to supporting either a high voltage or low voltage device. The electrical code specifies that high and low voltage devices cannot be installed in the same box. Thus, although two high voltage devices or two low voltage devices could be supported by those mounting devices having an elongated electrical box, the mounting devices were inadequate in those situations in which the user wished to install both high and low voltage services in one mounting device.
What is needed therefore, is a device that is capable of anchoring in the ground and supporting both high and low voltage electrical devices. Additionally, the mounting device should provide the improved features of the aforementioned commonly owned disclosures, including a secure electrical junction box for isolating wiring connections from environmental hazards, integral projections to improve anchoring to the ground, and a wide lower cable entryway to allow easy access for underground cables. The mounting device should also be stable, durable, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, and easy to maintain.